NullG is a modern anti-gravity racing engine built in C++20 and Vulkan. It brings classic high-speed racing energy into a clean, simulation-first engine with crisp rendering, source-aware asset handling, multiplayer, audio, HUD, tools, and a growing research pipeline for smarter computer-controlled pilots.
At its core, NullG is about feel: fast tracks, readable handling, dramatic starts, glowing engine trails, punchy combat, and a technical foundation that can scale from desktop racing into richer simulator-style experiences.
What NullG delivers
NullG runs a fixed 60 Hz race simulation with single-race sessions, solo Time Trial, AI opponents, lap timing, results, persistent records, rescue, pause/restart, stereo audio, streaming music, weapons, pickups, and source-aware HUD presentation. WipEout and WipEout XL / 2097 content can run through dedicated native asset paths, giving the engine a strong proving ground for racing systems, rendering, audio, menus, controls, and gameplay validation.
Rendering is powered by a Vulkan pipeline with GPU-driven track and scene draws, depth pre-pass, lighting and shadows, shader tooling through Slang, particles, HDR, post-processing, and Reference / Enhanced visual presentation modes. The result is a great blend of retro source material and modern engine structure.
This action capture shows ships on track with glowing engine trails and a live weapon effect, the kind of fast, expressive race presentation NullG is built to explore. User-supplied legacy racing content gives the engine a rich real-world test bed while the NullG identity, original ships, original music direction, menus, systems, and simulator goals continue to grow around it.
The bigger vision
NullG is designed as a full anti-gravity racing platform, not just a renderer or a track loader. The project goal is to connect high-speed racing, authored physics, spatial presentation, learning opponents, multiplayer, and simulator hardware into one cohesive experience.
The dream setup is a motion simulator pod where the player can feel acceleration, braking, cornering, collisions, boost, elevation changes, and surface texture. NullG's simulation frames already emphasize real physical quantities, which makes them a natural source for motion cues, haptics, controller feedback, and future DOF platform output.
NullG physics is the authored handling direction for that experience. The project uses source-authentic physics where that serves imported content, while the NullG/Jolt path gives the engine a modern SI-unit foundation for craft mass, thrust, hover, collision, impulse, combat forces, and clean physical telemetry. That gives the project room to build racing that feels expressive on a gamepad and meaningful in a simulator.
Audio is part of the same vision. Today's stereo mix already routes engines, weapons, warnings, music, and viewport-aware multiplayer cues through structured race events. The long-term goal is positional audio that places ships, weapons, impacts, announcer cues, and environmental sound around the driver, matching the motion and visual experience.
Display is another major pillar. NullG's rendering architecture is built to support more than one camera view: local split-screen, isolated per-view render resources, camera-specific lighting, and viewport-balanced audio all point toward richer multi-display racing. The simulator vision includes a primary driving display, side/peripheral views, and auxiliary displays for HUD, diagnostics, track data, and cockpit-style controls.
Project goals
NullG brings several tracks of work together:
- Build a great-feeling anti-gravity racer with original ships, tracks, lore, music, and a clear visual identity.
- Preserve clean source-qualified asset workflows for user-supplied legacy content and imports.
- Grow NullG physics into a strong authored handling model for gamepad play and simulator play.
- Use reinforcement learning to explore smarter pilots, better race telemetry, and richer AI behavior.
- Make multiplayer feel natural across local split-screen, LAN rooms, and online private rooms.
- Expand presentation through positional audio, multi-display rendering, physical feedback, and motion-simulator output.
- Keep the engineering measurable, explicit, and easy to validate as the project grows.
The design philosophy is simple: make the game exciting, keep the engine honest, preserve asset provenance, and build systems that can be measured. That combination makes NullG both a playable racing engine and a creative technical platform for the next stage of anti-gravity racing.